Ambiguous laws ‘put young at risk of STIs and pregnancy’
The IFPA said the legal status of prescribing contraception to young people under the age of 16 was very unclear and this lack of clarity was a serious deterrent to those needing sexual health services. It also posed a major dilemma for doctors who must provide a confidential service that is in the best interest of their patient. The situation was further complicated with the age of sexual consent set at 17.
The IFPA said it welcomed Law Reform Commission proposals on the teenage consent issue but felt some of the terminology used was unclear, a situation that undermined the effectiveness of what was being put forward.
The IFPA stresses that any legislation must allow for young people to consent to medical treatment if their health was likely to suffer as a result of it being refused.
A survey of consultations with young people at its Dublin city centre clinic shows that 65% attended on their own and, in the under-16 age group, 54% were unaccompanied, leaving the doctor to decide whether to provide services based on their maturity.
Almost half (48%) of the 251 young people who attended the IFPA’s Cathal Brugha Street Clinic over the last five years sought ongoing contraception services, with almost a third attending for emergency contraception, and 9% for pregnancy services.
The IFPA, who release the survey together with its annual report today, said eight out of 10 who attended with a guardian or older family member were most likely to be accompanied by their mother. While young people represented a small but significant proportion of their clients, the association found that they were engaging in consensual sex with similar-aged partners and were unlikely to stop in the absence of an accessible sexual health service.
The IFPA found young people had an evolvingcapacity to understand the nature and consequences of the treatment being offered.
IFPA medical director, Dr Caitriona Henchion, said young people should not have to face uncertainty about services and should be entitled to avail of confidential services without fear of betrayal and without threat of refusal of care.
She said medical professionals deserved the protection of the law when they supplied services which, after careful assessment, they decide are in young people’s best interests.
“Giving young people the ability to consent to their own medical care would be a major step towards keeping young people safe and healthy,” she said.
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